Masquerade
by McGeekle
Summary: Tony makes a connection with a mysterious woman in black across a crowded room. "He couldn't tear himself away from her, or she from him. He just stood, breathing shallow, as he let feelings long forgotten flood through him." Tiva


The Marine Corps birthday ball was an occasion that drew magnificent crowds each year. Dignitaries, honorees, heads of state, and military officials alike turned out dressed to the nines for a night on the town. Most years, the ball was standard, formal and dignified. This year, however it was given a theme: masquerade.

This year's ball also came paired with an unverified threat of an attack on the Secretary of Defense. Security had been bulked up early, which is how Tony ended up wearing a black and red mask Abby had provided, watching from afar as the SecNav schmoozed with private contractors, senators and military officials. He scanned the crowd continuously, the masks making security a nightmare. He was watching for anything out of the ordinary. Anything out of place amongst well fitted suits and voluminous gowns.

He itched at his cheek as he scanned the crowd. His discomfort was quickly getting the better of him. He was fidgeting constantly, playing with his mask. He was just lucky they were in a public place. He was certain that if they were anywhere else Gibbs would have headslapped him.

A few hours into the night and countless faces later, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure moving through the crowd. He immediately snapped to attention, his gut clenching. As he looked closer, he saw it was just a woman in a black gown. He relaxed visibly, but his gut was still churning. He watched as she glided through the crowd in the back of the room.

Her face was shrouded by her black and gold mask and curtain of dark locks, but he could tell even from a distance she was strikingly beautiful. She enticed him, each movement of her hips drawing him to her. It was something about the way she moved; graceful, effortless. He stared from afar, watching her sway. He sighed. She reminded him so much of Ziva.

_Ziva_. The thought of her still sent a pang of sadness to his heart. It had been a year since he'd left her in Israel. A month or so into her absence she'd made contact with letters, texts, phone calls when she could. But it wasn't the same. No matter how regular the contact, nothing could substitute her presence next to him. He ached to see her again. To touch her. Kiss her.

Lost in his thoughts of the one who got away, he continued to watch the mysterious woman in the back of the room. She finally looked toward him. Their eyes met, and it was as if he was shocked. The intensity in her gaze took him aback. They were fifty feet apart, but her gaze made his heart skip a beat. He'd forgotten what it felt like.

He couldn't tear himself away from her, or she from him apparently. He just stood, breathing shallow, as he let feelings long forgotten flood through him. A group of marines walked through their intense staring session, breaking their connection. Slightly stunned, he shook it off, resuming his watch of the room. Too many thoughts ran through his head, his body thrumming with anxious energy.

Their connection was broken, but he could still feel her presence, even from a distance. As he scanned the room, his gaze would always come to rest on her for longer than he'd like to admit. He tried to keep his cool throughout the night, but every time he saw the woman in black, he noticed something new. The way she walked, how she looked when she laughed, the way she ran her hands through her hair. Every bit of her reminded him of Ziva.

The next time he scanned by her, he noticed her looking right at him. She turned away quickly. His eyes widened. She was watching him, too. His gut churned. She was so much like her…He shook his head.

He had to squash those thoughts. He knew this woman wasn't Ziva. He knew it wasn't her. There was no way. But he knew he had to talk to her, because if it was, he'd never forgive himself for letting her get away. His heartbeat sped up as he allowed himself to hope.

Gibbs noticed quickly that his senior field agent's attention was drawn away. Excusing himself from SecNav's side, he approached his still entranced agent. He stepped into his field of vision, Tony's eyes snapping to him.

"Boss, I've got to check something out." he said, almost dazed.

"You're no good to me distracted," he said sternly.

"I'm not distracted," he replied in nearly the same tone.

Gibbs looked at Tony skeptically, almost daring him to lie.

"Fine, go." Tony moved to leave almost immediately. "Hey," Gibbs said, stopping him in his tracks. "Come back when you get your head on straight."

Tony nodded, his attention still half drawn to the woman drifting mysteriously about the room. She was dwelling towards the back, watching everything around her, frequently glancing his way. He felt his heart beat faster as he approached her, butterflies, now entirely too foreign, in his stomach.

As he got closer and closer, he could feel himself growing warm. From anticipation? Arousal? Hope? He couldn't truly be sure.

Their eyes met and his heart jumped into his throat. It was her. He just knew. He resisted the urge to sweep her into his arms and kiss her right then and there. His heart was pounding in his ears as he held his hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, trying to keep the shaking out of his voice.

She nodded, as though she were afraid to give herself away. But he could see in her eyes that she knew it was him, too.

He led her to the dance floor, hands intertwined. His hand came to her waist, and hers to his shoulder. They fit together perfectly, just as they always did. They began to sway, eyes locked, hearts beating fast. The silence stretched for most of the song. They stared into each other's eyes, too afraid to speak for fear of breaking an illusion they'd created. He tugged her closer to him, her cheek only a breath from his.

"Ziva?" he whispered in her ear, finally saying her name aloud.

She nodded. "Yes." The brush of her hair against his cheek brought back too many memories, too many sensations long gone but not forgotten.

They held each other close for a while longer, cherishing the closeness they'd been deprived of for far too long.

"Come with me," he murmured into her ear.

"Where?" she asked.

"Does it matter?"

He felt her shake her head in reply. He pulled away from her, keeping their fingers intertwined as he led her off of the dance floor and through the nearest door. He didn't even care where it led.

They came out into a dark hallway. He rounded the corner, but didn't see a room to duck into. He looked around the deserted hallway and decided it was good enough,

There were words to be said, things to be discussed, explanations to be heard, but all of that fell away as he gave into his desire, ripped off her mask and crushed his mouth to hers. She returned his enthusiasm with vigor, her hands stroking his back as his came up to cup her head. His tongue quickly found hers, stroking her softly as they met for the first time since he'd left her standing on the tarmac. Each time they separated, her lips chased his, meeting them once again. They finally broke apart after several passionate kisses. He could feel her shaking as he pulled away slightly, her nose still brushing his cheek.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, hand still tangled in her hair.

"I…decided that I wanted to see you."

"You could have just called me, you know."

"I know, but… I didn't want to tell you I was here."

"Why?"

"I wasn't sure if I was ready to see you."

"You…wanted to see me…but you didn't want to see me?" he asked, confusion and disappointment laced through his tone.

"No, I'm not explaining this right."

"You can tell me anything."

"I know," she said. She battled with herself for a moment before speaking again. "I was afraid that if I saw you, if I contacted you… I would not be able to tear myself away."

"Why do you have to?"

"Right now, I can't remember."

He leaned in and kissed her again, softly this time.

"If you didn't want me to see you, why did you let me?"

She looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I suppose when I saw you…I could not tear myself away." She looked up at him, honesty in her eyes. He smiled kindly in return.

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"I didn't. But I hoped you would be."

'Risky move, David."

"A small one in order to see you."

He decided to take a risk. "Will I be seeing you more often?"

"Not yet," She said, "but soon."

"How soon?"

"Very," she said with a mona lisa smile.

His face broke into a wide smile. "Alright then."

He sobered slightly. "How long will you be here?"

"Just a day or so."

"Do you…have somewhere to stay?"

"I do," his face fell. "But I would not mind changing my plans."

He smiled, pulling her in for another kiss. He couldn't help it. He had been without her for far too long. He stroked her cheek with his thumb as he kissed her, wanting nothing more than to take her right there, but he forced himself to pull away.

"I gotta go. Gibbs is waiting on me."

"I know," she said.

"Meet me at my apartment?" he asked, pressing his key into her palm.

"Yes," she said with a sly smile.

"And what is that smile for?" he asked.

"Just thinking about how interested you will be to see what is hiding under this dress."

"Devil woman."

She kissed him lightly, "I will see you soon."

She slipped her mask into place, and sauntered away.

Tony left the hallway with a wide smile on his face. How quickly things had changed. He found Gibbs in the crowd, joining him at his post once again.

"You good?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, Boss," he said with a smile. "Everything's just fine."


End file.
